Hi, what have people found to be the best storage bag/container to freeze meals?

EllaBella312519

I plan to batch cook and weigh/portion out to then freeze. I'm planning on doing this with curries, chicken tikka pieces, soups etc.

Also, if anyone has any recipes/advice on what other foods freeze well, I would appreciate any help/advice offered

Thanks in advance

AnnPT77

I like tempered glass bowls with snap-on plastic lids. The round bowls do take up a bit more space in the freezer, but small square/rectangular dishes like that do exist and are useful. (I have a big freezer, so use a lot of the round ones. Since I live alone, it's mostly the 2-cup and one-cup bowls, but I do use larger rectangular ones for some things.)

What I like: Reusable (no single-use plastic), go straight from the freezer to the microwave (or even oven, with care), do double duty for storing leftovers or things like half an onion, cheese, etc.). They last practically forever. (A lid will break occasionally after long use.)

Downsides: When not in use, they do stack for storage, but realistically they do take up some space. Higher initial cost. They're not technically completely air tight (as vacuum-sealed bags can be), but they're fairly tight (especially the round ones) I haven't had problems with freezer burn.

I don't like microwaving in plastic. The tempered glass bowls go in the microwave with a small plate upside down on top. Works great.

The brands common here (just for reference, not because I'm compensated to mention them!) are Pyrex and Anchor Hocking.

clcrafter8950

smart idea to portion up. I bought a food sealer a few months ago and find it super handy. I've frozen small portions of chili, soups and meats. We don't have a lot of room in our freezer so it works for us. Best of luck in your food prep ventures!

acpgee

I will freeze food in anything. Although I agree glass does not impart any taste and is environmentally friendly I re-use takeaway boxes and ice cream containers, which being opaque do need latels. Although I use high quality plastic containers with four sided fold down seals to take lunch to work because I don't want leaks and spills in my handbag, I find that once frozen, I am not bothered by not re-using low quality containers in the freezer.

I batch cook sous vide in portion sized ziplock bags and just freeze things like corned beef and duck confit in the sous vide cooking bags.

Favourite batch cooking recipes are mostly braised. Quadrupling a recipe you are making anways is not 4 times the work especially if use you the food processor for tasks like chopping onions. Favourites are
Bolognese sauce for pasta, beef rendang, dak dori tang, coq au vin, chicken cacciatore, boeuf bourgignon and daube.

Non braised dishes I batch cook are meatloaf and meatballs, gratin dauphinoise. For meatballs and scalloped potatoes I cook and freeze in small aluminium takeout trays bought on amazon. The food can be warmed up in the oven in the trays.

I have recently started experimenting with freezing raw meat in marinade. Apparently the marination process stops when frozen, but thawing overnight in the marinade is hopefully equivalent to marinating overnight.

MargaretYakoda

If you want something that is single use, I can recommend this type of box.

We purchase them in bulk at a restaurant supply store, but they’re also available at Amazon.

Pros: Relatively inexpensive and pack very well. Biodegradable.
Easy to write on, very helpful for date and other details.

Cons: Once they’re used they’re not recyclable. Can be difficult to source if you don’t have a good restaurant supply nearby.
Must buy in bulk for best price.

EllaBella312519

Thank you all for your replies

I currently use zip-loc bags but they can be difficult to get clean if the dish has a sauce/gravy.

I do like the idea of using items that can be transferred straight from the freezer into the oven (obviously after defrosting if needed ).

I do try to use things that are recyclable, so it's a shame that those boxes aren't MargaretYakoda, they're really cute looking.

clcrafter8950 - a vacuum sealer sounds very useful, both for space saving and preventing freezer burn. Do you mind if I ask which one you use (and if you would recommend it)?

AnnPT77 - I have several Pyrex dishes but hadn't heard of Anchor Hocking until now. Unfortunately, I don't have enough space to spare to freeze things this way.

You have all given me several ideas that I'm going to try out, both recipe and freezer storage wise...thanks again

perryc05

I often use zip lock plastic sandwich bags, removing as much air as possible and then I freeze them flat. It's the best use of space I have found as I can store my meals like books in a library once they're frozen. I use Chinese style plastic takeaway containers a lot too.

wm3796

I have the Food Saver brand vacuum sealer and have been using this brand for over 10 years. The way everything lays flat and then you can just drop the sealed bag into boiling water to heat up and then eat( if it was already cooked prior to freezing) is so convenient. I frequently make double batches with one to freeze of spaghetti sauce and meatball( can even add noodles to it and freeze all together), precooked turkey burgers, all types beans, smoked chicken,smoked brisket.

COGypsy

I hate using single use plastics, but I haven't come up with a better option. I have to store things in flat packages. I have an apartment sized fridge with an apartment sized freezer. The freezer is about three quart-sized freezer bags wide, so the prospect of using glass bowls or meal prep boxes is a non starter, particularly since I'd estimate that probably 70% of what I eat is frozen, so space is at a premium. I re-use when I can, but I'd love ideas that store flat and don't require a mountain of Stasher bags at $20 a pop.

mtaratoot

If you're just freezing for a week or two, you can use almost anything. I save quart and pint yogurt and cottage cheese containers for reuse.

I often make big batches and freeze longer term. For one thing, I don't like to put much heat into the house in the summer, so I can defrost something frozen and heat it quickly. I also sometimes buy a large piece of fish and portion it up and freeze it. For longer storage, for sure I use a vacuum sealer. It allows me to let things stay frozen for months without getting "freezer burn." For things like soups or stews, I put them in the bag and freeze them BEFORE I seal them. I think letting liquid get into the sealing mechanism is a way to shorten the life of a vacuum sealer. Sometimes it's a bit of a comedy getting place for the bags to sit upright so they don't spill. Then, before I seal, I wipe out the inside edge with a towel. I also vacuum seal wild mushrooms when I collect a lot. Mostly chanterelles. I saute them, divvy them up, and vacuum seal & freeze. Then I can use wild mushrooms any time I want.

MargaretYakoda

wendymoreland3796 wrote: »

I have the Food Saver brand vacuum sealer and have been using this brand for over 10 years. The way everything lays flat and then you can just drop the sealed bag into boiling water to heat up and then eat( if it was already cooked prior to freezing) is so convenient. I frequently make double batches with one to freeze of spaghetti sauce and meatball( can even add noodles to it and freeze all together), precooked turkey burgers, all types beans, smoked chicken,smoked brisket.

I also have a Food Saver brand vacuum sealer and really like it.
I mostly use it for dehydrated foods, which is a whole other discussion.

Adventurista

I make large batches of stock and freeze in quart ziplocks which i can lay flat, or use those to divide and freeze other things. When on sale, ziplock type bags have seemed easier/less work and less expensive than the seal bag systems. I should price compare again.

I also wash and reuse small dairy containers that i can take with and throw away when out and about.

yirara

For cooked meals i use normal plastic containers. My freezer space is limited and those take up a minimum of space. Perfect. For non-cooked food items I use small ziplock bags for freezers. Or for several of the same I might portion it, put it in plastic bags and then all together in a ziplock. Not great, because I hate wasting plastic, but no other idea.

ninerbuff

Food sealer with vacuum.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

mtaratoot

Adventurista wrote: »

I make large batches of stock and freeze in quart ziplocks which i can lay flat, or use those to divide and freeze other things. When on sale, ziplock type bags have seemed easier/less work and less expensive than the seal bag systems. I should price compare again.

I also wash and reuse small dairy containers that i can take with and throw away when out and about.

For short-term freezing, for sure zip-seal bags are more cost effective. The only two advantages to using a vacuum seal system are:

1. For long term storage, air in the container can allow ice crystals to form on the surface of food. This is known as "Freezer Burn." It decreases the quality of the food when thawed and eaten. It's less of an issue for some kinds of food.
2. For some applications, like pre-cooked meals sealed and frozen and taken on a raft trip, you can just get a big pot of water simmering, put an upside down bowl in the bottom of the pot, and put the bag into the water to re-warm for a meal without a big pot to wash. You can do this at home, too.

A trick to prevent freezer burn in plastic containers is to put a layer of plastic wrap over the top of the food and then, once frozen, a layer of oil on top of that. Of course you may end up eating extra oil! This helps keep air away from the food.

Also, for longer term storage, a deep-freeze that is not frost-free is better. The thaw-freeze cycles in frost-free freezers can also damage food over time and can increase freezer burn. If you have space in your home, you might consider a small chest freezer. I didn't think I had space for one, and I'm very glad I found out I could make space. It's not a perfect space, but it's so nice to have the extra freezer capacity. This is especially true for preparing for river trips. I use the regular freezer to GET things frozen and then transfer to the deep freeze. I can keep jugs of frozen water to keep in the raft cooler, and I can keep plenty of frozen meals or anything else I want to keep for longer term storage. I keep dried fruit from my trees there and pull out a bag at a time. I even keep bags of cubed ice. When you buy ice at the store, it's right about freezing, not much below. Over time in the -10F, that ice is much colder and will absorb more heat before beginning to melt.

But yes, if I was making a bunch of broth to freeze and use within a month or so, the cheaper zip-seal bags would work fine.

Another thing I like about my vacuum sealer is that if I'm brave enough to bring home chips or other salty crunchy snack, I can weigh out two servings, cut the bag straight across the top, and re-seal. I can then pretend I don't know how to open it and save the rest until another day. It's not foolproof, but it helps.

Adventurista

@mtaratoot ~lol @ pretend not to know how to open. And ty for the most excellent points to consider. All of it helpful. Will ponder adding to my wish list. Might displace a spiralizer, lol

My recent purchase was 2 replacement tall stock pots for broth. So easy, who knew? Definitely more work but cheaper than buying and able to control ingredients/sodium.

Have been pondering sous vide as well.

acpgee

"Adventurista wrote: »

Have been pondering sous vide as well.

The sous vide wand has been great for me because I am not fond of that stringy “pulled pork” type texture associated with braised meats (typically around 80C). When I sous vide braising meats at 57C for 12 to 72 hours the texture is soft but steak like.

The modern sous vide wands (immersion circulators) are the size of hand held immersion blenders so take up very little room in a drawer. For large batches I sous vide small portioned ziplocks in a big plastic bucket and toss anything not eaten on day 1 in the freezer to brown later in the air fryer or on a cast iron skillet.

I typically do duck confit and corned beef from the Serious Eats recipes. I do char sui from pork loin which is otherwise hard to cook because the cut is so lean that it dries out easily. For batch cooking I also use brisket for beef rendang (Indonesian curry), lamb shanks and beef short rib. Using unpopular cheaper cuts feels like a more sustainable way to eat meat. I remember reading about a butcher who said that on a Saturday he would sell 12 cow’s worth of ribeye to 2 cow’s worth of brisket. Stefan’s Gourmet Blog is another good source of sous vide recipes.

mtaratoot

acpgee wrote: »

The modern sous vide wands (immersion circulators) are the size of hand held immersion blenders so take up very little room in a drawer. For large batches I sous vide small portioned ziplocks in a big plastic bucket and toss anything not eaten on day 1 in the freezer to brown later in the air fryer or on a cast iron skillet.

I don't yet have a sous vide, but when I get one I will use a small insulated cooler to save energy. I already have the cooler. I picked up a couple very small coolers at a thrift shop that are great for a few beverages in the back seat of a vehicle. I may modify the lid on one to put a sous vide wand in. The cooler will mean the heat source doesn't have to work as hard.

Adventurista

@acpgee ~ ty, i can see a need for tender cooking of difficult meats. Worth serious consideration, ty!

@mtaratoot ~ cooking in a cooler? Who would've thunk?

When we were young, it was a novelty to have boil in a bag, but didn't like much.... Sounds like sous vide yields better results. Am glad for the chat about it.

Edit to add
~ ps, ty for the info on sealing systems, also worth pondering...

So my kitch is stuffed, love gizmos & gadgets, but want to pare down to essentials.

Upshot, seems the seal systems, sous vide and feezer are on my want list for economic reasons - as we once again are expieriencing skyrocketing prices. Sales and stocking up during sales is more helpful again.

mtaratoot

Adventurista wrote: »

So my kitch is stuffed, love gizmos & gadgets, but want to pare down to essentials.

This is one reason I don't want an instant pot or air fryer and don't own a microwave. It took me forever to get an immersion blender. I was silly to wait so long. They're awesome.

As far as boil-in-a-bag, there's several reasons to do it for a river trip. First off, you have a solid frozen hunk that serves not only as food for later in the trip but also as ice early in the trip to keep other perishables cold. The less need you have for water ice, the more room you have for food. My cooler is relatively small for a raft cooler at 90 quarts. I can support a five-day raft trip from that cooler as long as folks don't mind river temperature beer. That said, I also freeze beer so I can have cold ones towards the end of a trip.

I've seem some neat things stored in vacuum seal bags for heat-and-eat meals. Twice baked potatoes; that was neat. The guy packaged the skins separate from the filling. Heat the filling and build the meal. Chili or soup is a no-brainer. I've even eaten lasagna that was cut into serving sized pieces, vacuum sealed, frozen, and then heated in hot water for supper.

I made a really big batch of a soup I like this week. I used more water than normal, and I like how it came out. There was so much, I just put one of the quart containers in the freezer. It will have ice crystals on the surface within a week or two, but it won't stay frozen that long. I'm going to soak black beans today. Mmmmm.

Adventurista

@mtaratoot ~ mmmmmm!
-- freezing beer? Doesn't explode?
- bonus bringing frozen food, and beer.

I also like to cook up beans, portion and freeze. So much easier than imagined, and less expensive.

When we packed up mumsie's house, the gadgets were endless from quesadilla makers, choppers, set it and forget it/rotisseries.. so many things...

I do use crockpots, and occasionally eyeball pressure cookers, but have not taken that on... have been limited as needed freezing instead of canning. I think we will replace our 2nd fridge with a freezer if it will please stop working sometime, lol

acpgee

@Adventurista
If you covet several bulky gadgets, I have a girlfriend who swears by her multipurpose Ninja. It slow cooks, pressure cooks, air fries, has a temperature range low enough to use as a dehydrator, and serves as a rice cooker. It was expensive, I think. So for people with more money than counter space.

Before modern sous vide set ups became compact to store and relatively inexpensive, the Serious Eats website use to promote using a beer cooler for doing manual sous vide regulated by a thermometer and an electrical kettle for topping up the temperature. A far cry from the set it and forget it ease of a sous vide wand (which contains a thermostat).

mtaratoot

Adventurista wrote: »

@mtaratoot ~ mmmmmm!
-- freezing beer? Doesn't explode?
- bonus bringing frozen food, and beer.

Not if you do it right.

• Step one: Get beer.
• Step two: Put it in the refrigerator for several days or a week. This allows the maximum amount of CO2 to dissolve in the beer and not be in the head space. You can even take the beer out once or twice a day and shake them and put them back. Let them sit at least a day after you do all that.
• Step three: GENTLY move the chilled cans to the freezer. Let them freeze completely. Then you can store them in the deep freeze until you're ready to pack the cooler.
• Step four: By the fourth day of your river trip, your frozen beer will be defrosted. I did a three-day trip one October, and I had to sit cans out by the fire to thaw.....

Deal is - gas is more soluble in cold liquids. If you think about it, you can put a beer out in 100 degree heat and it won't explode. There's a lot of pressure in the head space as the CO2 comes out of solution AND the beer itself expands as it gets hot. The cans are that strong.

So when you FIRST get as much gas out of the headspace and into the beer, you can have that head space be at a lower pressure. Then when the beer expands as it approaches freezing temperature, there's some room for that gas to expand without exploding the seal. If you put warm beer directly in the freezer, it will burst the can. The pressure in the head space gets too high. That's what does it.

I have had some beer split cans. I've had some cans deform. Typically those are higher level of carbonation beers, like cheap American light lager. If I freeze Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, it works fine. You have to follow the process though.

To pack the cooler: The day before, add a bunch of cubed ice and let sit overnight to pre-chill the inside of the cooler. Dump out that ice and pack. I put two one-gallon jugs of frozen water in the bottom of the cooler and l fill in space between them with frozen beer and any other food that I want to stay frozen. I cover that with a sheet of Mylar bubble wrap. Non-frozen food goes on top of that. As room allows, I can add other small frozen bottles of water. On top of it all, I put another layer of Mylar bubble wrap. That way, as we eat our way through the food, there's always an inner lid to keep things close together in one thermal mass.

My cooler is a roto-molded model. Holds cold a long time. We have had ice at the end of a 23-day Grand Canyon trip if we practice good cooler management. Don't open the cooler during the heat of the day. Know what is in each cooler; open quickly and get what you need. For frozen things that need to thaw, pull them out the night before and put in a different cooler.

If you're someone who doesn't use jugs and instead uses block or cube ice, you can drain the very cold water from your cooler when you get to camp and use that to make ice-cold beer from the beer in your dry storage. Not draining the cooler means the inside will be at a colder temperature, but it may melt the ice faster. Mostly I don't want my food swimming in water - it's a food safety issue.

Multi-day river trips are great. I have a permit for the Rogue in mid May.

SafariGalNYC

I like silicone food storage bags. They travel well and can be cleaned in dishwasher!

acpgee

SafariGalNYC wrote: »

I like silicone food storage bags. They travel well and can be cleaned in dishwasher!

That's a great idea. I bought a couple of sylicon bags to reduce reliance on ziplocks for sous vide, but depending on the brand, the seal is not dependable enough for cooking sous vide. I now mostly use them in the fridge to contain condensation when defrosting meat in ziplocks. I must start using them in the freezer.

I do re-use ziplocks that are not too dirty or greasy by turning them inside out and draping them over a tall glass in the dishwasher.

EllaBella312519

SafariGalNYC wrote: »

I like silicone food storage bags. They travel well and can be cleaned in dishwasher!

- which ones do you use, and have they been reliable?

acpgee wrote: »

I do re-use ziplocks that are not too dirty or greasy by turning them inside out and draping them over a tall glass in the dishwasher.

- I also do this - doesn't work so well when the bags have had chicken ceylon, madras etc. inside them though unfortunately.

Some really useful tips and ideas within these replies

acpgee

I'm afraid I only have negative silicon bag experiences, but here are my warnings about the two brands I have:

"Stasher" bags have reliable seals, but one of them became brittle in the freezer and tore. I don't remember if I put a hot Stasher bag from the sous vide directly into the freezer on that occasion. I don't know if tearing was due to my low freezer temperature. Most domestic freezers are set to -18C but mine is set at -23C because I freeze to kill parasites in fish that is served raw.

"Fudy" bags have a totally unreliable seal, and just pop open at random.

acpgee

No one else has mentioned freezing in aluminium takeaway trays that you can buy in bulk on amazon and go straight from defrosting in the fridge to warming in the oven or air fryer. Here are some cooked potato gratins and meatloaves cooling to go into the freezer. Keep in mind that any potato dish you freeze needs to fully cooked first, as otherwise the freezer will convert potato starch into sugar.

acpgee

I have been experimenting freezing meat in marinade, and I can report defrosting in marinade overnight has a similar effect to marinating overnight.
Following a tip from the Serious Eats cookbook whenever I make marinades, stir fry sauces, and salad dressings I will make a batch to keep in the fridge in squeeze bottles so I always have favourites on hand.

ehju0901

AnnPT77 wrote: »

I like tempered glass bowls with snap-on plastic lids. The round bowls do take up a bit more space in the freezer, but small square/rectangular dishes like that do exist and are useful. (I have a big freezer, so use a lot of the round ones. Since I live alone, it's mostly the 2-cup and one-cup bowls, but I do use larger rectangular ones for some things.)

What I like: Reusable (no single-use plastic), go straight from the freezer to the microwave (or even oven, with care), do double duty for storing leftovers or things like half an onion, cheese, etc.). They last practically forever. (A lid will break occasionally after long use.)

Downsides: When not in use, they do stack for storage, but realistically they do take up some space. Higher initial cost. They're not technically completely air tight (as vacuum-sealed bags can be), but they're fairly tight (especially the round ones) I haven't had problems with freezer burn.

I don't like microwaving in plastic. The tempered glass bowls go in the microwave with a small plate upside down on top. Works great.

The brands common here (just for reference, not because I'm compensated to mention them!) are Pyrex and Anchor Hocking.

I would agree with this. I am constantly trying to reduce my amounts of waste, so I prefer to use Pyrex. I've had my current set for years and I love them. Plus they don't get stained by food!

ChristieLynn777

I’m a country girl at heart…lol…so I use mason jars for everything from cups I drink out of to storage containers (I also store and freeze meals in them), I even use them as measuring cups…I originally started removing plastic containers from my house after my son was diagnosed as Type 1 since plastic affect your endocrine system. I also find they stack really well if you have limited space in your freezer. I even found jar jackets (it a silicone sleeve that fits the mason jars..I added pictures) on Amazon so I’m not bumping glass on glass and there is also so many interchangeable lids you can get for them for almost anything you can think of. Plus it has a rustic country look to them. lol

Hope this helps